Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Would You Want to Know Whether You Will Develop Alzheimer's Disease?

Researchers have developed a blood test for Alzheimer's disease that predicts with astounding accuracy (90%) whether a healthy person will develop the disease. Although it needs some fine-tuning, the test may be available at your doctor's office within the next few years. As of yet, there is no cure or prevention for this devastating disease. Moreover, the likelihood of a medical breakthrough seems decades away. This new test raises the question: would you want to know whether you will develop the disease? In my case, I would want to know, if only to find a practical and efficient way to end my life before the condition progressed too far. I'm not religious and have no illusions of a wondrous afterlife. I recognize that life is limited, and it's the quality of that life that's important.